Eugene Parks Fields was born 9 May 1908 in Montpelier, Indiana. His parents were Charles E. Fields and Emma Gertrude (Thorp) Fields. He had an older brother named Harold T. Fields, and they lived most of their lives in Geneva, Indiana. On 29 May 1931, Eugene married Margaret C. Parr. Later they had a daughter, born 14 February 1940, named Nancy L. Fields. She later married James Kretzschmar, becoming Nancy L. (Fields) Kretzschmar, and they had a son and a daughter. Eugene attended Geneva High School and graduated in 1926. After high school he went to Indiana University and became a Dentist. He worked in Decatur as a Dentist, and many of his friends called him "Ted". Eugene joined the Officer Reserve Corps. on 1 August 1941, serving in the Army Medical detachment as a Dentist. He was put on active duty on 31 July 1941 as a 1st Lieutenant. His service number was 333891. Lt. Fields trained with the 23rd Division at Fort McClellan, Alabama and Camp McQuaid, California. Then the 35th Division at Camp Rucker, Alabama. Going on to the 47th Division at Camp Gruber Oklahoma. And lastly, trained with the 124th Cavalry at Fort Riley, Kansas. Eugene was sent overseas on 1 July 1944. He was a Captain, and worked as a Dentist in the Medical Detachment. His unit was sent to Burma, India to retake North Burma. Capt. Fields was killed by an accidental gunshot wound while traveling down Myitkyina-Suprabum Road in Burma. He was on an authorized absence at the time of the accident. Capt. Fields was moved to a hospital to be treated, and died on 16 November 1944. There was an investigation to find the cause of the accident. Capt. Fields was temporarily interred in an American Military Cemetery in India with full military honors. He was well known in his unit, and his remains were escorted by all members of the Detachment, who voluntarily marched 14 miles after a hard day of training in order to pay their respects and say goodbye. Now Eugene is located in Riverside Cemetery in Geneva, Indiana. In Geneva, a Memorial Park was created with the Family's name. Eugene's father inherited a 12 acre plot of land, which he farmed. When he grew old he planted trees in it, and after Charles and his two sons passed, the family felt that it was fitting to turn the 12 acres of land into a park in their names. The park used to sit in the southeast part of Geneva, off Williams Street. Because of flooding, however, it has been moved to just off of South Adams Trail in Geneva. For his service, Capt. Fields was awarded the American Defense Service Medal, American Campaign Medal, and the Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Medal. Information researched and collected by Alyssa Grothaus, 2015.
Indiana Historical Bureau, comp. Gold Star Honor Roll: Adams County. Bloomington: Indiana
War History Commission, 1949. Print. Vol. 1 of Indiana in World War II.
“Capt. Fields is War Casualty in Asiatic Theatre.” The Berne Witness [Berne] 11 Dec. 1944: n. pag. Print.
“Fields Family Tree.” N.d. Ancestry. Web. 12 Oct. 2015.
Article Hale, Richard. "The Mars Task Force." World War II Cronicles Sept. 2005: 17-23.Print.
Heller, Dick D., Jr., ed. 1979 History of Adams County, Indiana. N.p.: Adams County Historical Society, Inc., 1980. Print.
The Legend of the Limberlost. N.p.: n.p., 1946. Print.
“Prominent Decatur Dentist Reported Killed on Nov. 16.” Decatur Daily Democrat [Decatur] 11 Dec. 1944: n. pag. Print.